India’s Federal Republic: Regional Parties and the Future of Democracy

Session 4: Agrarian Politics, Caste, and Regional Power
Speakers: Surinder S. Jodhka, JNU; Narendra Kumar, JNU & Anand Mehra, University of Delhi; Indrajit Roy, University of York

For more details regarding the programme of both the days, visit the website
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Regional parties are key vehicles through which India’s social heterogeneity enters its democratic contract, giving political form to caste, language, tribe, agrarian distress, minority claims, statehood demands, and welfare expectations. The 2024 general election revealed both their vulnerability and indispensability. Examining their ongoing re-composition across states, this workshop explores how they mediate linguistic federalism, social justice, minority protection, democratic opposition, negotiation, bargaining, resistance, and accommodation.
 

India’s Federal Republic: Regional Parties and the Future of Democracy

Introductory Remarks: Mujibur Rehman, Jamia Milia Islamia
Session 1: Nationalizing Power, Regional Survival
Speakers: Uday Chandra, Ashoka University; Satyaki Barua, University of Hyderabad; Yamini Aiyar, Brown University; Shruti Kapila, University of Cambridge

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

The Duel: Two Marksmen; One Battleground Kashmir 
By Ajay Singh (Pentagon Press, 2026)

Discussants: Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma, Writer & Former Cdr, Corps and Adjutant General of the Indian Army; Lt Gen PJ S Pannu; Former Deputy Chief, Integrated Defence Staff; Amb Anil Trigunayat, Former India’s Ambassador to Middle East nations; Joyeeta Basu, Acclaimed Journalist and editor, The Sunday Guardian; Ajay Singh, Author of the book

The Contemporary World Crisis: Where do we go from here?
By Dr. Anthony Monteiro, American scholar, former professor of African American Studies, Temple University, Founder, Saturday Free School for Philosophy and Black Liberation in Philadelphia and leading contemporary exponent of the work and legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois,

Chair: T.C.A. Raghavan, Former High Commissioner to Pakistan

In the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the world order stands at a historic crossroads. For the Western world, this is not simply a political or economic crisis, but a profound civilizational crisis. There is a growing divide between political institutions and the hopes and aspirations of people, often called a crisis of legitimacy.  At this moment, the ideas of Martin Luther King Jr. and his leadership of a third American revolution must be recognized and understood. Dr. Monteiro will explore how this vision offers a new direction for American society—and ultimately, for humanity as a whole.

The programme is part of the King-Du Bois Peace Pilgrimage, a friendship tour that Dr. Monteiro is undertaking.

Now the labour of a fully committed heart is finished – Yayoi Kusama
Speaker: Anu Jindal, Scholar-Educator, Artist & Curator and a fellow at The Japan Foundation

Chair: Amarendra Khatua, former Secretary, MEA, Govt of India and Poet

The talk discusses the work of celebrated contemporary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, her superlative oeuvre and extraordinary output spanning over seven decades. Kusama passed away in August 2026 at the age of 97. This talk pays tribute to her path breaking creativity, expressed in media, painting, sculpture, installation, fashion, performance and more, to conjure up her unique universe, prolifically peppered with polkas to nets to infinity mirrored images - "the consummation of a lifetime"
This programme is under the aegis of Japan Month 2026

(Collaboration:  Embassy of Japan in India)
 

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Tribal India: History, Struggles and Future
By Mandira Ghosh (Shubhi Publications, 2026)

Chair: K J. Alphons, Author & Former Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge)

Discussants: Amarendra Khatua, Former Secretary, MEA & Poet; Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee, Editorial Director, Niyogi Books; Neeru Misra, Academic Advisor, BL Institute of Indology & Former Director, ICCR; Mandira Ghosh, Eminent Poet and Author of the book

Book Discussion Group  

Languages of Freedom: The Idea of India in Political Theory, Bombay Cinema and Progressive Urdu Poetry.

By Neera Chandhoke. (Speaking Tiger Books, 2026)

Chair: Ashok Vajpeyi, Hindi poet, critic, essayist and translator

Discussants: Gauhar Raza, scientist, Prominent Urdu poet, Documentary Filmmaker, and social activist; Partho Datta, School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU ; Prof. Neera Chandhoke, Visiting Professor, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi & Former Professor of Political Science, University of Delhi and Author of the book

Indigenous Knowledge Systems as Drivers of Economic Transformation in Northeast India: Institutional Pathways and Sustainable Development

Chair: K. N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Moderator: Sr. Prof. Rekha Saxena, Head, Department of Political Science, University of Delhi 

Speakers: Prof. Nani Gopal Mahanta, Vice Chancellor, Guwahati University, Assam; Prof. K. Ratnabali, Dean, Academic Affairs, University of Delhi; Prof G. Amarjit Sharma, Special Centre for the Study of North East India, JNU

A panel discussion exploring the potential of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Northeast India to foster sustainable livelihoods, community-led enterprise and economic transformation. The session will examine how institutional support, local governance, market access and policy frameworks can strengthen traditional practices while ensuring ecological sustainability, equitable development and cultural continuity.

(Collaboration: Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER)

Live Streaming of Discussion on North East

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Book Discussion Group

Rupture of Kashmir Society: Impact of Prolonged Conflict

By Bashir Assad (Gaurav Book Centre, 2026)

Chair: Pooja Priyamvada, writer, journalist and translator

Speakers: Prem Shankar Jha, Economist, journalist and writer; O P Shah, social and peace activist; Shahid Siddiqui, Journalist and Bashir Assad, author of the book.

Delimitation after 2026: Electoral Equality or Federal Balance?

Moderator: Dr. Amitabh Kundu, Professor Emeritus at L. J. University Ahmedabad.
 

Discussants: Dr Yogendra Yadav, Author, Activist and Public Intellectual; Prof Santosh Mehrotra, Senior Fellow Nehru Memorial Museum and Library; Dr S. Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India

The proposed delimitation of parliamentary constituencies after 2026 raises complex questions, the discussion examines the implications for states that have successfully managed population growth and the challenge of balancing the democratic principle of ‘one person, one vote’ with regional equality within India’s federal system. Exploring a possible middle path of allocating incremental parliamentary seats based on contemporary population data without reducing the existing representation of states.